Results from a recent YouGov survey commissioned by office design and build company Oktra have highlighted how important the office environment is to employees.
Research of over 2,000 British employees across three different generations found that less than half (43%) believe their workplace encourages innovation – a substantial statistic to consider, especially for tech companies whose longevity and survival in the industry relies on constant innovation.
Tech workers require state-of-the-art equipment to achieve the best results, meaning that British business owners must reassess their office environments in order to remain at the forefront of innovation in their industry.
Nic Pryke, design director at Oktra, said: “It can be easy to overlook how the design of an office impacts the people within it. By conducting a thorough assessment of a workspace, we can begin to understand what works and what is holding back not just the evolution of a business, but the employees’ personal development too.”
The research also found an overwhelming 85% of British employees agree that visitors and clients typically make a judgement of a business based on their workplace. While over two thirds (78%) of those working in IT and Telecoms believe that if they were looking for a new job, a well-designed workplace would make them more inclined to want the position. With such fierce competition between technology companies, the demand for top talent in the industry is growing. Businesses therefore need to create an innovative workplace that will place them ahead of their competitors and win over visiting job seekers.
Workplace wellbeing has become a topic that cannot be ignored or treated as merely a box-ticking exercise. Nearly a quarter (24%) of office workers believe that poor workplace technology and equipment affects their wellbeing in the office. Considering a typical day in the office can range between 7-12 hours, it is undeniable that the environment in which they work needs to accommodate and support their daily requirements in order to maximise productivity and wellbeing.
Nic Pryke added: “A well-designed workplace with up-to-date technology will support the functionality of the office whilst providing the ideal platform for employees to produce innovative work.”
